Automatic flow-regulator for liquids and gases.



No 868,776. PATENTBD OUT. 22, 1907.

J. H. GREGORY, w. W. JACKSON & F. N. GONNET. AUTOMATIC PLOW REGULATORFOR LIQUIDSAND GASES.

APPLIOATION FILED DEU.17. 1906.

2 BHEETS-SHEBT l fld qmomei q 7 than,

witnuou fiw mz PATENTED OCT. 22, 1907. J. H. GREGORY, W. JACKSON dz: P.N. OONNET. AUTOMATIC FLOW REGULATOR FOR LIQUIDS AND GASES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-17. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

nomlqow/ flede-ra'nfMcony at GIT-01.00,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. GREGORY WALTER W. JACKSON, OF COLUICBUS,.OHIO,.A ND FREDERICK N.

CORNET, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODEISIrANO,'ASSIGNORS OF PROVIDENCE, RHODEISLAND, A CORPORATION,

BUILDERS IRON FOUNDRY,

Arr-rename snow-uncommon son mourns ems.

To all tvlumi it may concern:

Be it known that we, Join; H. GREGORY, WALTER W. Jackson, and FREDERICKN. Comma, citizens of the United States, said Gnsoonr and Jiexsonresidin'g at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of.

-Ohio, and said Conner residing at Providence, county of Providence, andState 0 v Rhode Island, have in vented certain new and usefulImprovements in Automatic Flow-Regulators for Liquids and Gases, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had therein tothe accompanying drawing. 7

This invention relates to means whereby the velocity of certain liquidsor gases passing through a given aperture, automatically controls theflow of certain" other liquids or gases. I

The object of given aperture, said flow to operate floats which floatsin turn operate one or more gates to control and allow a proportionalflow of other chemicals or gases.

This'device is more particularly designed to operate in connection witha city water supply where the water I es certain impuritiesthat are tobe precipitated by means of chemicals deposited in the water for thatpur pose. These chemicals are supplicdirom any number of tanksdischarging into the water in quantities pro:

portioned to the amount of water use, and this supply is governed andcontrolled automatically by the velocity 4 of the inflowing water. Toaccomplish this purpose we have adopted a pipe ortube in construction tothat commonly known as the Venturi tube, de-

scribed in United States Patent No; 381,373, April 17,.

' 1888, and have connected to said tube'two chambers one communicatingwith the high pressure side of the 36 tube a'nd the second chambercommunicating with the neck or reduced portion of said tube. In each ofthese chambers is supported a float the height of each indicating thepressure in the tube at their respective connecting points, and thevertical movement of said floats {mixed together in any predeterminedproportions if desired; broadly speaking, our invention covers theautomatic controlling of the flow of any gases or liquids by the flow ofother gases or liquids. V

The invention consists of other novel features and Specification ofLetters Patent. Application filed member 11,1900. sum Io. $48,141. I

the invention is to provide a device that will indicate the flow ofliquids or gases through a Patented on. 22, 1907.

parts and oombinationsof the same as will be fully described hereimfterand then pointed out in thesppended clainis. I I r w A practicalembodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanyingdrawings,'iorming a part of this specification, in which similarcharacters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

In the Figure l -is a side elevation of the device illustrating anoperatipg arrangement of the mechanism with portions broken away tobetter illustrate the action'of the same. Fig. 2-is a plan view ofthedevice with the three chemical tanks removed, showing the chemical inletgates and the pipe connection from said gates to the mixing tank. 3-isadetail showing the floats, also the sheavesto which the flexible'connections are secured and the counterbalance weights. Fig. 4 is a viewpartiallyin section showing the horisonlal shaft 13 and the'opera'tingmechanism mounted thereon. Fig. 5is a detail of the yoke and pair oftrunnions on which gears 2424 are mounted. Fig. 6is a detail showing theV-shaped mil filled with liquid employed for operating the floats whengas is through the inlet tube.

Although the device may be operated by the flowof any liquids or tocdntrol the flow of other liquids or gases, we will first describe thesame as being operated by the How of water through the main tube toautomatically control the ,flow of a plurality of different chemicalsall to be subsequently deposited into a comnion reservoir for thepurpose of precipitating the impurities in the water.

Referring to the drawings at 1 isthe main inlet tube through which thewater flows to the mixing receptacle orreservoir 2.

,At 3 and 4 are two upright chambers or tubes, 3 be- .ing connected bythe small pipe 5 to the premure or inlet sidefi of the main tube, andtube '4 is connected through the small pipe 7 to the contiacted'neck portioii 8 of said tube.- In these tubes are the floats 9 and .10 supportedon the column of water-in the same. The height of these floats iscontrolled by the velocity of water passing through the said tube andtheir difierence indicates the quantity, the principle and opera; tionoi which is more particularly described in the patent .above referredto. A horizontal shaft 13 is mounted above these upright tubes to turnfreely in i the bearings 11 and 12 and on this shaftis loosely V mountedthe sheave-14 towhich is secured a wireor 100 otherflexible connectionfrom the flea-t9. A, counterbalance 15 also acts oil this sheavethrough'the-Jsmall sli e s which isattached therein, iiiare the largesheave'when the float 9 rises. 'loithe inner face of this sheave 14 isfixed the beveled pinion 17. Mounted at the opposite end of this shaft13 are two sheaves and a pinion similarto those just mentioned. Thesheaves 18 and 19 being connected to the float 10 and weight 20respectively by flexible connections, and the pinion 21 being alsoconnected to the sheaves l8 and 19 to turn with them on said shaft.Fixed to this shaft between the two pinions 17 and 21 is'the yoke 22 anda pair of trunnions 2323 (see Fig. 5). Mounted on these trunnions andmeshing into the/said pinions are. the pair of gears 2424, thisarrangement thereby forming what is commonly known as the sun and planetsystem of gearing. At one end of this shaft 13 is fixed a large cam 25(see Fig. 1) that is caused to rotate by the movement of the floatsthrough the differential gearing above described, and by its movementopen and close the gate 26 through its connection 27, arm 28 and lever.29. When it is desired to operate more than one gate from this cam theshaft 30 may be mounted in bearings 31 and 32 and to it maybe securedany additional number of arms to operate as many gates, the same as arms33 and 34 (see Fig. 2) operate the gates 35 and 36.

At 37 is a chemical tank located in any convenient place and arranged todeposit its contents into the mixing reservoir 2 through the pipes 38and 39, the quantity of theflow being controlled by the movement of thegate 26. At 40 is a float in said chemical tank which actuates the inletvalve 41 to automatically maintain a given head in said tank bycontrolling the inflow through the inlet pipe 42. .Any desired number ofthese chemical tanks may be used and operated by the-mechanism shown anddescribed.

When gas is forced through the main supply tube 1 its action in passingthrough the contracted portion is much the same as that of a liquid. TwoU-shaped tubes 43 and 44, (see Fig. 6) partially filled with liquid areemployed. One of these tubes communicates with the contracted portion 8and thejother with the pressure side of the main tube 6 through thesmall pipes 45 and 46, and the pressure of gas in the main tube operatesthe liquid in the U-shaped tubes to raise and lower the floats and bythem open and close the gates through the actuating mechanism abovedescribed. In place of chemical tanks, gas receptacles may be used tosupply gases instead of chemicals if desired, or a combination of gasand chemical receptacles to supply either one or both to be mixedtogether in any predetermined quantities g or subsequently mixed withthe gases or liquids in the reservoir 2.

The operation of the device may be further described as follows: Thedifference in the height oi the floats indicate the quantity as well asthe velocity of the (substance passing through theE-imain tube. When.

there is no flow through the tube the floats are equal in height and assoon as the flow begins both floats fall somewhat, float 10 falling to alower level than float 9, and the greater the velocity through the tubethe greater differencelbetwcen the floatsfigAs one float falls lowerthan the other the cam 25 is rotated an amount equal to that differencethrough the -well known action of, the differential gearing abovedescribed, and as saidca in rotates it either raises or lowers the gate26 through the connections shown and nicely controls the flow of thesubstance from the tank.

seems An essential feature of the device is that the flow through themain supply tube not only actuate s mechanism to admit a quantity oiother liquids or gases but that this flow so controls and regulates saidliqiiids and gases that they will always be in a predetermined ratio tothe amount passing through the main tube and will increase and decreasein direct proportion to the increase and decrease of the flow throughsaid main tube. I

Our invention is not restricted. to the construction and arrangement ofparts herein shown and described nor to the various details thereof, asthe same may be modified in various particulars without departing .fromthe spirit and scope of our invention, one practi-' cal embodiment ofwhich has been herein illustrated and described without attempting toshow all of the various forms and modifications in which our inventionmight be embodied.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a device for supplying liquids or gases, a main supply pipe, anauxiliary supply vessel and means operated by the difference between thepressures at two points in the main pipe to control the flow-from thesaid. auxiliary supply so that the quantity drawn from the. auxiliarysupply will always be in a predetermined ratio to the quantity passingthrough said main pipe.

2. In a device for supplying liquids or gases, a main supply pipe havinga neck or contracted portion, an auxiliary supply vessel, and meansincluding two floats operated by a variation in the flow through saidmain pipe and its contracted portion to control the flow from saidauxiliary pipe.

3. In a device for supplying liquids or gases, a main supply pipe, anauxiliary supply vessel and means including floats operated by avariation in the flow in the main pipe to operate gates andautomatically regulate the flow from the said auxiliary supply so thatthe quantity drawn from the latter will always be in a given proportionto the quantity passing through said main pipe.

4. in a device for supplying liquids or gases, a main supply pipe havinga neck or contracted portion, an auxiliary supply vessel, meansincluding two floats operated by the different pressures in said mainpipe and its contracted portion to automatically control the flow fromsaid auxiliary supply so that the quantity drawn from the auxiliarysupply will always be proportioned to the quantity passing through saidmain pipe. v

5. In a device for supplying liquid and gases, a main supply pipe, anauxiliary supply vessel, said pipe having a body portion and acontracted neck the pressure of the flowing substance in said bodyportion being greater than that in the neck, and means operated by thesetwo pressures to automatically control the flow of said auxiliarysupply.

G. In a device for supplying liquids or gases, a main supply plpe,auxiliary supply pipes, said main pipe having a body portion and acontracted. neck whereby when theliquid is flowing two differentpressures are obtained, and floats actuated by these pressures tooperate gates through their difference in height, and automaticallyregulate the flow through the auxiliary pipes.

7. In a device for supplying liquid or gases, a main sup.- ply pipe,auxiliary supply pipes, said main supply pipe having a body portion anda meted neck whereby two dif- 'ferent pressures are obtained when theliquid is flowing, and means whereby the diiference in these pressuresserve to control the flow from said auxiliary supply pipes so' meansactuated by said floats to operate gates and automatically regulate theflow fi'ulu sultl auxiliary pipes.

0. In a device for supplying liquid or games, a main sup ply pipe,nuxlliury supply pipes, mill m uiu supply pipe havlug a body portlon and:l contracted lltt'k whereby tuo tilttereut pressures are obtained whenthe liquid in flowing. two tubes each open at one Blitl umi having theiropposite lllllifi connected to the main pipe, one to the. high pressure,and one to the low pressure purtlou of the same, limits in saintlllhL'h, anti means whereby the ucthm 01"Ntlltl llouts operate arotatable can: to open and close gutes :uul automatically re'ulato thellow from suld unxllhn-y suppty.

In testimony whereof we uflix our slgnnture in presence or twowitnesses. I

JOHN II. GREGORY. I f WALTER W. .lAthSON,

FllElJlGliltk N. CONNI i'l.

\i'ltuesms as to J. H. G. k W. W. .I.:

Hum 11. JONES, HARRY s. lloumm.

